Return
by malic124
Summary: A series of crimes causes Detective Elliot Stabler to rejoin the SVU force once again as a detective.
1. Agression

_In the Criminal Justice System, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories._

The Landlord of Grace Bontz, 39, led Detectives Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola up the stairs to her apartment. Grace had none been seen for a few days, and a friend had called in her disappearance, and suggested she could have been rape. When they reached the door, the Landlord knocked on it.

"Ms. Bontz," he said. "Ms. Bontz, are you in there? I have two detectives here who would like to speak with you."

When no response came, Tutuola butted in.

"Open it up," he barked.

The Landlord nodded, took out his keys and unlocked the door for them. Benson and Tutuola entered the apartment, drawing out their guns. They separated and began searching rooms. Each room their searched was clear until Olivia entered the bedroom.

"Fin!" she called. "I've got something!"

Tutuola raced into the room with his gun pointing at the bed. Lying in a pool of blood was the body of Grace Bontz. She was completely naked except for a towel which covered her face.

"Looks like she was raped," Benson said before radioing the M.E., and CSU to come deal with the crime scene. After radioing them, Benson sat down on a chair in the living room, putting her head on her hands, seeming like she was going to breakdown. Fin came out from the bedroom and walked over to her.

"Liv, you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"This job just gets harder and harder without Elliot," she replied. "I'm fine though."

Within fifteen minutes, CSU and Medical Examiner (ME) Dr. Melinda Warner had arrived on the scene. Warner had a look at the victim while members of CSU looked around the crime scene for forensic clues.

"Looks like your victim was raped pre-mortem," Warner concluded to Benson and Tutuola.

"Cause of death?" asked Fin.

"Manual strangulation," Warner replied. "Thing is, there's something unusual about how she was killed."

"How so?" Olivia asked.

"It looks like two people were involved."

"How do you get that based off the strangulation?" Fin asked, flabbergasted.

"There's obvious marks on her neck where she was strangled, but there's also some marks on her chest to suggest she was held down from behind while she was strangled. I'll know for sure after a do a full body exam."

By the next day, Olivia and Fin had questioned Grace's father, brother, uncle and boyfriend and had cleared them all as suspects. None of them believed anyone had any reason to attack Grace, so the detectives were left with very little to go on. However, Warner called Olivia and told her she had found some things out about the victim. They drove to the ME's office and met with Warner.

"Like I said yesterday, there was a good chance there were two perps," Warner said.

"And?" Fin said.

"And it looks like I was right," Warner continued, walking over to the body of Grace and showing parts of her body. "See the bruising on her back and chest? It suggests to me she was held down by one of your perps while the other raped her. She suffered too before she died."

"How so?" asked Olivia.

"She was raped at least three different times. I found sperm in her throat, anus and vagina."

"Bastard raped her every way he could," Olivia said, clearly disgusted. Suddenly, her phone rang and she turned to answer it. "Benson," she answered while Fin continued talking to Warner.

"Do you have a time of death?" he asked.

"Based on body temperature, I estimate about twenty-four hours ago. She was possibly dead about four hours when you found her."

"Thanks, call us if you find anything else," Fin said.

Warner nodded and covered Grace's body again while Fin turned back to Olivia, who had a grave look on her face.

"What's up?" he asked.

"That was Munch. There's been another attack. We got two more victims to deal with."


	2. Gruesome

Benson and Tutuola entered the home of Alex and Megan Knab, the married couple whose murder Munch had called in. A number of police officers and members of CSU were canvassing the crime scene and collecting evidence. When they entered the home, Munch walked over to them.

"What have we got?" Benson asked.

"Victims were found this morning by the girlfriend of their son, who was here to housesit for them. According to her, the couple was scheduled to leave for England this afternoon, and she was to housesit for them for a week."

"And where is she now?" said Benson.

"Over there, sitting on the couch. Her name is Hallie Johnson, 16. Victims are in the bedroom," Munch replied. Fin followed him into the bedroom while Olivia spoke to the girl.

"Hallie?" she said. The girl nodded. "My name is Olivia. I'm a detective with the Special Victims Unit. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I let myself in with the key they gave me last night," Hallie replied. "I thought they had already left for the airport since their flight was supposed to leave about three hours before I got there, and they liked to plan ahead. I let the dog out, and I went to Alex and Megan's room to clean up their bedding since they asked me to. I opened the door and found their bodies inside. I called the police right away, and then I called Dominic."

"And is Dominic the Knabs' son?"

"Yes. He's my boyfriend. I called to tell him that I had found them and instead of freaking out, he calmly told me that he knew and hung up. I think he might have done it."

Olivia nodded and thanked her.

Meanwhile, Fin and Munch met with Warner in the bedroom. She was examining the bodies of Alex and Megan; both of them were nude and bloodied. When Fin and Munch entered the room, she looked up from her work and spoke to them.

"I think the same perp attacked these victims," she said.

"How do you know?" Fin asked.

"Based on the way the woman was raped," Warner replied. "Just like Grace Bontz, she was raped in the same three ways. And the man was sodomized violently before bleeding to death. He suffered a long death."

"How long have they been dead?" asked Munch as Olivia walked in.

"I estimate time of death was no more than six or seven hours ago, based on body temperature and the blood not being completely dried yet. I'm guessing they had been dead about five hours when Hallie discovered them. Did Hallie give you anything, Liv?"

"She said she called the son, and told him what happened. When she did tell him, he said 'I know' and hung up the phone. She and I are in agreement that he might have done it."

"Or maybe he just knew about it and won't talk," Munch said. "We'll have to take her to the station for questioning."

At the precinct, Olivia sat down with Hallie and asked her to describe exactly what had happened in the events leading up to when she found the bodies. As she interviewed him, ADAs Alexandra Cabot and Casey Novak and Dr. George Huang listened to the interview from outside of the interview room.

"How would you describe Dominic's tone when he said that he knew his parents were murdered?" Olivia asked.

"It sounded cold, almost...I don't know...calculating. It's like he didn't even care. He's always been a little off all the time, but when he said that, it sounded genuine," replied Hallie.

Olivia thanked her, asked her to wait a moment and then left the interview room. She turned to Huang and the ADA's.

"Well what do you think?" she asked.

"I think Dominic only knew about his parents' murder. I don't think he had a first-hand involvement in it," Huang replied.

"How are you coming to that conclusion?" Alex asked.

"Based on the way Hallie described it, it sounds like he just discovered their body and left them there. If he had involvement in their murder, he likely would have just hung up the phone when she told him, or if he felt guilty, he would have confessed."

"Is him knowing about his parents' murder enough to get us a warrant to search his room and computer for clues?" Olivia asked.

"Absolutely, if he knows something, we need to question him," Alex replied. "Unfortunately, I'm due in court in an hour so I won't be able to get your warrant. Casey?"

"I'll talk to Elizabeth Donnelly and get you the warrant within the hour. Liv, Fin, you guys go on back to the Knab's apartment, and wait for me there."

Olivia and Fin went back to the Knab's house to wait for Casey's warrant. While they waited, an officer from CSU spoke to them.

"No fluids were present on either of the victims," she said. "Megan had traces of spermicide in her, so the attacker used a condom. Alex was sodomized with a small wooden block before bleeding to death, as your ME already told you. No hairs or prints were found anywhere that didn't belong to either of the victims, or the son. Your perps were pretty smart. We have Ruben Morales from TARU checking out the computer now."

"Good, we'll need his help when Novak gets here with our warrant," Fin said. "Thank you ma'am."

He and Olivia proceeded to the Alex and Megan's office where Morales was working on their computer.

"Find anything yet?" Olivia asked.

"Nada," replied Morales. "These two mostly used their computer for business only. The hard drive is clean. I can't search the son's room until a warrant is granted."

"Well you don't have to wait anymore," Casey said as she walked into the room carrying a piece of folded paper. "I got your warrant. Search the room."

Olivia and Fin went with Morales into Dominic's room. While Morales searched the hard drive of Dominic's computer, Olivia and Fin searched around the rest of the room. After ten minutes of searching, Benson and Tutuola had found nothing of interest to the case.

"Please tell me you got something," Olivia pleaded.

"I do. I've checked his last instant message conversation, and it looks like he is at the house of a friend by the name of Derrick White. I will trace his IP address, and I'll get you the location of his computer."

After a few minutes of searching, Morales came up with the location of Dominic's friend's computer.

"Got it," he said. "It's an apartment in the Bronx."

Olivia and Fin wrote down the address and left the apartment. They raced across Manhattan, and reached the friend's house within an hour. They both went inside of the complex, where the landlord told them what apartment number Dominic's friend was in. He led them upstairs, and banged on the friend's apartment door.

"Hey, White, open up!" the landlord shouted. "Your rent is overdue, and if you don't come clean, I'm going to call the cops."

When no response came, Olivia and Fin drew out their guns as Olivia told the landlord to open the door. He nodded and let them inside.

"Police! We're looking for Dominic Knab. If you're in here, Dominic, come on out," Olivia called.

They entered the kitchen where they found two men standing together. One of them seemed to freeze to his chair as Olivia and Fin entered, while the other jumped out of his chair, ran at Fin and punched him in the face before running out the door.

"Are you alright?" Olivia shouted as she went after the man.

"Yeah, I'm fine, go!" Fin yelled back, standing back up. "Are you Derrick White?" he asked to the man sitting down. The man appeared to be around 20-years-old, and seemed frightened out of his wits.

"Yes, I am. Why are you looking for Dominic?" Derrick replied.

"He's the prime suspect in his parent's murder. He is also going to do some time for assaulting a police officer."

Meanwhile, Olivia chased Dominic to the end of the hall before she managed to get close enough to tackle him to the ground. She held him down while she took out her handcuffs and put them on him.

"Dominic Knab?" she asked while she stood him up.

"Who the hell are you?" Dominic asked in a raspy voice.

"The sex crimes detective who is arresting a 17-year-old murderer," Olivia replied.

"What? I didn't murder anybody!"

"Maybe not, but I'm still going to arrest you. Dominic Knab, you're under arrest for the murders of your parents, Alex and Megan Knab, and for the assault of police detective Fin Tutuola. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Back at the precinct, Olivia and Fin questioned Dominic in one of the interview rooms.

"You're lucky I don't nail your sorry ass for hitting me in the face," Fin said.

"Oh, threatening me? That could be considered police brutality in a court of law," Dominic replied.

"Only if he hits you without provoking him," Olivia interjected. "And believe me, he is easily provoked, and I won't stop him from striking you if you do push him too much."

For the next half-hour, Olivia and Fin interviewed Dominic. He described how he allegedly murdered his parents in cold blood, raping his mother with a condom on and sodomizing his father with the small wooden block. Most of his story seemed to check out with all of the evidence that had uncovered. As Dominic finished confessing, Cragen entered the room.

"Captain," Olivia said. "You're just in time to see us charge Dominic here with rape, murder and assaulting a police officer."

"Well, he's only going to be charged with the assault," Cragen replied. "Can I see you both outside for a moment?" Olivia and Fin followed Cragen out.

"What's up, Captain?" asked Fin.

"It can't be him," Cragen replied. "We have surveillance video of him partying at a bar at the time of his parents' deaths, and it shows that he stayed there until one hour before Hallie discovered his parents."

"So we're back to square one again, just like that?" Olivia demanded.

"Not quite," Cragen said. "There's been another rape/homicide and more evidence may have been found. We might be getting closer to finding this attacker."


	3. Close

Olivia traveled by herself to the apartment of Matthew and Ashley Schroder. When she arrived, CSU along with the ME's office were already checking the crime scene and collecting evidence. Olivia was pointed to the bedroom where the victims were. She proceeded to the bedroom and found Warner examining the bodies.

"What have you got for me, Melinda?" she asked.

"Same story I had with the Knabs," Warner replied. "Ashley was raped in the same three ways before being manually strangled to death. Matthew was sodomized before suffering massive internal bleeding. It has to be the same perps and there's no way it could be Dominic Knab since time of death was about three hours ago, and you had him in custody."

"Okay, thanks, Melinda," Olivia said.

When Olivia returned to the station, she met with Fin and briefed him on the events surrounding their case. They went to the interview room where Dominic was still sitting.

"Good news, Dominic," Olivia said as they entered. "We're not gonna finger you for your parents' murders. We have irrefutable evidence that places you at a bar at the time of their deaths. We also have three other victims to handle so we can't charge you for the murder."

"But before you get all excited about being let go, we're still arresting your sorry ass for assaulting me," Fin added, picking Dominic up and trying to lead him from the interview room to the holding area. Dominic tried to put up a fight before Fin continued. "Do you really wanna try and fight me? I can get you for a double assault if you keep trying to escape."

Dominic stopped resisted and let Fin escort him to a holding cell. While Dominic was being lead away, Olivia straightened up the interview room before heading to Captain Cragen's office.

"Captain, we now have five victims under our belt. We are going to have to work really hard to find something to get a suspect."

"Well, there's nothing more we can do tonight. Go home, Liv, and get some sleep. Warner will have results for us tomorrow," Cragen replied. Olivia nodded and headed home to her apartment.

The next day, Warner came into the squadroom to let the detectives hear her findings from the attacks, as well as those found from CSU.

"CSU didn't find any prints at the Knabs's home," she explained. "Nor was there any DNA at their home. However, I think you're killers are becoming cocky."

"How so?" asked Munch.

"CSU found two sets of prints in the home that didn't belong to either of the victims. One of the prints matched to a set found on the lamp post used to sodomize Matthew so they likely belong to the one who attacked him. I also found semen in the three places where Ashley was raped."

"Bastard let himself rest before he kept torturing her," Olivia said, disgusted.

"Exactly. Now, cause of death in all of the women has been manual strangulation," Warner continued. "Both of the men have been traumatized enough to cause internal bleeding, allowing for a slow but very painful death. There are definitely two perps, but I can't really figure out their relationship. Dr. Huang, what do you think?"

"The killers are obviously very close to each other," Huang explained. "They could be dating, married or may even be family members. I think the killers are one male and one female. I'm guessing the man rapes the women while the woman sodomizes the men enough to cause them to bleed out. They are very violent people with a passion for sexual deaths. They could find their own sex lives unappealing and take that out on other people together in order to let their relationship approve. Bottom line, the killers are very close to each other."

"Okay, we know the killers are close, but we don't know the connection between the victims," Cragen said.

"Well," Olivia said. "All of the victims were sexually assaulted before they died. Grace Bontz was home alone when she was attacked but the Knabs and the Shroders were together at the time. Grace had a boyfriend, but he was at work at the time of her death. It seems like the killers wanted to have both members of the relationships to kill so they chose to wait until both were together in the same room before they attacked." Olivia paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't understand the connection between them."

"I think I do," said a voice from behind all of them. Cragen, Warner, Huang, Munch, Casey, Fin and Olivia all turned around to face the speaker. When the saw who it was, they all let out gasps of shock. It was Elliot Stabler.


	4. Explanation

Elliot sat down in his former Captain's office next to Olivia. After the shock had blown over, Cragen had asked them both into his office. After they had both sat down, Cragen closed his office door and sat down at his desk in front of them.

"So, Elliot, what can you tell us about our victims that we don't know?" he asked.

"All of them have a connection to me," Elliot replied. "Grace Bontz is a cousin of mine who I haven't spoken to in the last few years; Alex Knab was a buddy of mine in college and I introduced him to Megan, who was another friend of mine, and they ended up getting married. Matthew and Ashley are close friends of Kathy and I who we met just last year at a party."

"Do you think someone is targeting people close to you purposefully?" Cragen asked.

"I think so," said Elliot. "They haven't attacked any of you, which I don't really understand."

"I see," Cragen said. "I'll talk to Huang and see what he thinks about this."

"Wait, Don, before you do, I want to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"For leaving the squad suddenly like that. I just felt so guilty after what I had done to Jenna; I didn't think I had in in me to be a cop anymore."

"It's okay, Elliot, I understand completely," Cragen replied. "I'll go talk to Huang, you two wait here."

Cragen left the office. Elliot turned to Olivia.

"Liv, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to leave. I couldn't stand seeing your reaction, and I didn't really want to tell anybody."

"El, I understand. It's okay."

Elliot grinned. "Thanks, partner. So how are the new people working out?"

"Amaro's pretty good; he's kinda a hardass, like you. Rollins is tough-as-nails and can get the job done on her own, no problem. They are both out on assignment but are supposed to be back sometime in the afternoon."

"Huh, well maybe I will meet them," Elliot said, before the office door open and Cragen appeared, with Huang following closely.

"Doc, good to see you," Elliot said.

"Same to you, Elliot," Huang replied. "So, based on what Don has told me, I gather the perps were targeted somewhat because they are close to you."

"Somewhat? What do you mean?" Elliot asked.

"I think, ultimately, they want to target you. They are very violent people who have been attacking and killing people close to you; it is very possible they are doing this only so they can get at you."

"And why haven't they attacked any of you?"

"Possibly because they fear us as law enforcement, or simply because you yourself is no longer with us."

"Well, I think that is going to change," Elliot said.

"What do you mean, El?" Olivia asked.

Speaking directly to Cragen, Elliot said, "Captain, I want to re-join the squad."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I think the only way I will be able to help get justice for all of these people is for me to re-join the police force, and help my former squad mates. Is there any way you would be able to pull some strings to get me back in, Captain?"

"I'll make some calls," Cragen said, picking up his phone and proceeding to dial a number. "In the meantime, I want you all waiting for me in the squad room."

Elliot nodded and followed Olivia and Huang out of Cragen's office. They were met by the rest of the squad, Casey and, having recently returned, Detectives Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins.

"Olivia, who's our friend?" Rollins asked.

"Amanda Rollins, Elliot Stabler," Olivia said as Elliot shook Amanda's hand.

"Pleasure, I've heard many things about you," Rollins said.

"Nothing too bad, I hope," Elliot said, grinning. "And you must be Detective Amaro?" he asked, turning to Amaro.

"Nick Amaro," he said, shaking Elliot's hand. "So what's the quiet life like?"

"Nothing like this," Elliot replied.

For the half an hour, Elliot explained to the rest his departure from the squad, his connection to each of the victims and his intention to re-join the squad. Just as Elliot was finished explaining everything, Cragen opened his office door.

"Elliot, can you come in here for a moment?" he asked. Elliot nodded, walked over to Cragen's office. Before closing the door, Cragen spoke to the rest of the squad.

"Okay, everyone, show's over. Back to work!"

He shut the door and sat down at his desk in front of Elliot.

"Same old, same old, huh?" Elliot asked, grinning.

"Nothing changes," Cragen replied. "I've spoken with some people and I've got good news. The Chief of D's knows you to be a well-respected and hard-working former detective. He has given me explicit permission to allow you back on the force with one condition: that you take a police test and pass with at least an eighty percent."

"Really? That's all?" Elliot asked. Cragen nodded. "Thank you, Captain. When can I take the test?"

"Right now, if you want. I have a copy here and when you're done, I'll send it in to see how well you've done."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Elliot received a phone call from Cragen to report back to the precinct at once: his test results had come in. Elliot dressed into one of his old set of clothes he wore as a detective and made his way to the precinct. When he arrived, he found the squad room bursting with activity. He made his way over to Fin's desk and spoke to him.<p>

"Where's the Captain?" he asked.

"He's in his office with Liv; they're waiting for you," Fin replied.

"Thanks, Fin," Elliot said before making his way toward Cragen's office. He knocked on the door before entering. Inside, Olivia was standing in front of Cragen's desk, who was standing behind in, grinning. On his desk sat a Kahr K9 pistol, Elliot's old off-duty sidearm, a Glock 19 pistol, his standard sidearm when he was a detective, and a police badge with the number 6313 on it, Elliot's old number.

"You passed the police test with flying colors," Cragen explained. "Elliot Stabler, I'm honored to welcome you back to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit," he continued, shaking Elliot's hand. "You have already taken your police oath, you just have to swear you will uphold it to your fullest ability."

"I will," Elliot replied.

"Then it's done," Cragen said, handing Elliot his badge, which he pocketed, his two pistols and a holster, which Elliot put on right away and holstered his sidearm. "You're on the case now, Elliot. You and Olivia will be partners once again."

Elliot turned to Olivia, who was beaming.

"Just like old times, El."

Elliot and Olivia then turned and left Cragen's office. Olivia showed Elliot to his new desk, directly across from hers.

"So you're a Senior Detective now?" Elliot asked.

"And I'm partners with one of the best Senior Detectives in the city," Olivia replied, grinning.

"Hey guys, don't get too comfortable," Munch called from his desk as he was hanging up his phone. "I just got a call from Mercy Hospital. There's been another attack, but the victim survived.

Elliot and Olivia stood up and grabbed their jackets. As they walked by Munch's desk, he spoke to them.

"Welcome back, Elliot," he said. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks, John," Elliot replied. "Did they say who the victim is?"

"That's why they called us," Munch said. "It's our old ADA, Jo Marlowe."


	5. Appeal

At Mercy Hospital, Elliot and Olivia were pointed to the hospital room where Jo was recovering. They were informed she was not hurt badly; she had some bruising and was shaken, but for the most part, she was fine. Elliot knocked on her door before they entered. Jo was lying on her bed and looked up when they walked in.

"Well, well, well," she said. "Look who decided to rejoin us fighting crime."

"Are you alright, Jo?" Elliot asked, looking worried.

"I'm fine," Jo replied dismissively. "The perps may have roughed me up a bit, but they got away before they could do any real damage."

"Perps?" Olivia said. "Are you saying there was more than one?"

"Yes, there was one man and one woman. When they were trying to break into my house, I called one of the detectives I work with in White Collar crimes, and he rushed to get to me," Jo explained. "When they got in, I tried to run, but the man grabbed me, slapped me around a bit and tied me to one of the chairs in my kitchen. They told me what they had done to their other victims and why they were targeted. The perps knew all the victims had a connection to you, Elliot. They had somehow tracked me down, found out I used to be your partner and your squad's ADA so they decided to target me. After they explained everything, the man reached for something behind him when the door burst open. The detective I called, Tim Hartsler and his partner had arrived. Seeing there was going to be almost no way out, the man smacked me in the face again before the two of them escaped. Tim cut me free, and he and his partner brought me here."

"Did they act like they knew I rejoined SVU?" Elliot asked.

"They never mentioned it; they just told me that they eventually wanted to meet you."

"Were they wearing masks?" asked Olivia.

"That's what I found weird, they weren't," Jo replied. "I thought that if they had intended for me to live, like I thought they were, they wouldn't have risked letting me see their faces. I can describe them to a sketch artist, if it will help."

"Okay, we'll get one down here," Elliot said. "In the meantime, Jo, you take it easy here."

* * *

><p>Back at the precinct, Elliot and Olivia were examining the evidence when Casey arrived.<p>

"What's up?" Elliot asked when she got their attention.

"The DA wants to speed things along with our case since the perps attacked someone in our office," Casey explained. "He says anything we need, warrants and the like, are to obtained as swiftly as possible, and he is ordering the public to see the sketch artist in a press conference."

"The public won't have to wait long," Cragen said, approaching them holding two pieces of paper. "The sketch artist just dropped off the drawings based off Jo's description. We can get this image on a Press Conference within the hour."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Casey stood with Cragen, Stabler and Benson on the steps outside the precinct, where she was introducing the case.<p>

"Early this morning, an Assistant District Attorney was attacked in her home by two assailants who have committed a series of rapes in the Manhattan area," Casey said. "The District Attorney wants to speed things along in this case, and is asking the public for help. I now turn it over to Captain Donald Cragen of the Special Victims Unit."

"Good afternoon," Cragen said. "After the Assistant District Attorney was attacked, she described the two perpetrators to a sketch artist. As per the DA's orders, we are releasing these sketches to the public in order to help speed things along in tracking these people down. Take a good look at the images on your screen. If you recognize either of the individuals, please contact the Special Victims Unit at the number on your screen. I guarantee you, you can remain anonymous, so do not be afraid to contact our squad if you know anything about either of these people. Thank you."

As Cragen finished, the reporters flew into a flurry of questions. Before any of them could answer any questions, Fin came barreling out of the building, running toward them.

"Elliot!" he called as he ran up to them.

"What is it, Fin?" Elliot asked.

Fin reached them and lowered his voice so only they could hear him.

"Patrol just called in a phone call and asked for you. I told them you were busy so I took the message," Fin said, looking grave. "I'm sorry, Elliot. The perps have found where you live. They have kidnapped Kathy."


	6. Apprehension

Fin and Cragen followed Elliot and Olivia to Elliot's house, where patrol units were watching their children, and CSU was searching for forensic evidence. As they turned onto Elliot's street, Olivia turned to Elliot, who had maintained a stony silence ever since they left the precinct.

"Are you alright?" she asked soothingly.

"I don't know," Elliot replied. "I'll be fine when I know the kids are safe and when I have Kathy back. I just hope the surveillance cameras I installed captured something."

They approached the house, which was surrounded with patrol vehicles, along with vehicles from CSU. As soon as Olivia parked their car, Elliot jumped out of it, and ran to the front yard, where all of his kids were.

"Are you all alright?" he demanded.

"We're fine, Dad," Kathleen said. "It's Mom you should be worried about."

"I know," Elliot said, hugging her and kissing Eli on the head. "Were the surveillance cameras on?"

"Dad, you know we don't know how to work those," Dicky said, frowning.

"Still, I wouldn't have put it pass the perps to try and cover their tracks."

Cragen and Fin approached them as Elliot stood up; Olivia had gone inside and was talking with CSU.

"Are the kids, okay, Elliot?" Cragen asked.

"Yeah, they're okay." Elliot replied.

"Elliot, I'll take 'em back to the station and make sure they're okay," Fin said, gesturing for the kids to follow him.

"Thanks, Fin," Elliot answered. He hugged all of his children, before they departed with Fin. Cragen then followed Elliot into the house, where he led him to his office. Elliot sat down at his computer and started up his surveillance system.

"I had these installed after I left the squad; I wanted to make sure something like this could be easily solved since I wasn't a cop anymore," he explained.

At that, Olivia walked in and stood next to Cragen.

"CSU hasn't found any forensics yet, but they found signs of a struggle in the bedroom," she said. "I talked with one of the patrol officers outside who said Kathleen told him there were two perps, one man and one woman, and that they seemed to know who they all were since they referred to Kathy by name, and referred to them as 'Stabler's kids.'"

Elliot nodded as he found the footage that was recorded in the driveway.

"When was patrol called?" he asked.

"Half an hour ago," Olivia replied.

"I should check back at least an hour before that," Elliot muttered as he was clicking things on the screen. After a moment, he clicked "play" and sped up the footage. About 45 minutes into the footage, a black van parked in the driveway, backward. They had a clear view of the license plate.

"Perfect," Elliot said. "Course, they wouldn't have thought that I would have cameras watching them."

"What's the license plate number?" Cragen asked, pulling out a notepad.

"XTQ-385," Elliot replied. "It appears the van is a black Chevrolet Sport, out service since '96, so it's an old one."

Cragen finished scribbling down some notes. "I'll get the DMV to look it up for us, and have Novak meet me back at the precinct. I'll see you in a bit."

Elliot nodded, his attention returned to the computer screen. He watched until he saw the perps leaving with Kathy, who appeared to be unconscious as they put her into the back of the van. When the footage reached the current time, he sat back in his chair, a look of utmost disgust on his face.

"El, I'm sure Kathy's fine," Olivia said soothingly.

"Liv, please, don't patronize me. I just want to find her," Elliot replied.

"Okay," Olivia said, nodding. "Let's get back to the precinct, and we'll go from there.

* * *

><p>Back in the squad room, Cragen was briefing the other detectives along with Casey on what had happened when Elliot and Olivia arrived.<p>

"The kids are fine, they're spending some time in the hole getting some rest," Fin said when Elliot and Olivia approached them.

Elliot nodded. "Thanks Fin. So, Casey, since we got the license plate number, do we have enough for a warrant?"

"I can get you one that will allow for a tracking device to be placed on the van so you can make your move when they decide to move Kathy. I won't likely get one on their residence, if that's where they took her."

"It's a start," Cragen said as Munch answered a ringing phone nearby. "Nick, Amanda, I want the two of you to track down the residence when we get it back from the DMV. Place a tracker on it, and then follow them if they leave. We'll all go out when the bug has been placed, and then make our move. All done by the books, people."

"We won't have to wait long to track them down," Munch said. "That was the DMV, and they told me the van is registered to a Stephen Tabor who lives in an apartment in the Bronx at Southern Boulevard and East 180th street. I asked, and Tabor has an assault and a couple of robbery priors that made them hesitant to sell the van, but they sold it anyway."

"Nick, Amanda, head out there and place the bug," Cragen ordered. "Casey, can you get a warrant in time?"

"I'll make a call," Casey said, nodding.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, all of the detectives were in separate vehicles, ready to move out when Nick or Amanda gave their word. They all had protective armor on, and had their weapons ready. Cragen had also called in the SWAT team for back-up. Suddenly, Nick's voice came over the radio.<p>

"They're on the move," he said. "We're heading back to Manhattan."

"Good," Cragen said; he was in his own car by himself. "Keep tailing them, and keep us updated."

About ten minutes later, Amanda's voice came over the radio.

"They're headed in the direction of Central Park," she said. "We're just a couple of blocks from there, and they don't seem to be slowing down. You all had better come here now."

The three cars headed toward Central Park, each of them taking a slightly different route to get there. Once at Central Park, Nick's voice came back over the radio.

"They've stopped at an old abandoned building across the street from Central Park. They moved inside. Orders, Captain?"

"Stay there, and wait for the rest of us. We don't want to spook them off," Cragen answered over the radio. "Meet us in the closest parking lot to the building. SWAT guys, are you ready?"

"Yes, sir," a voice on the radio answered.

"Good. Nobody goes in or out until I give the say so," Cragen said.

Within five minutes, all the detectives met in the parking lot, along with the SWAT team. They gathered around Nick and Amanda's car where Cragen gave his orders.

"Keep it quiet when we go in," he said. "Search all of the rooms, and find Kathy and the perps. Do not kill them; we won't to haul them in. Use force if you need to, but do not kill anyone. Understood?"

The rest of them nodded. "Then let's go inside."

They ran into the building, all of them holding their guns at the ready. The SWAT team went in one direction, Cragen, Fin and Munch in another, Nick and Amanda in another and Elliot and Olivia in another. Elliot and Olivia quickly searched through several of the rooms before making their way to the upper floors. When they were halfway down the fourth floor, they heard a scream ring out. Elliot turned and ran down the hall while Olivia alerted the rest before following him.

Elliot stayed close to the doors on the left side of the hall while Olivia stayed on the right, listening in the doors, before bursting them open and finding them empty. When they were halfway down the hallway, Elliot paused at one of the doors before a blood curtling scream rang out. He looked to Olivia, who nodded at him, pointing her gun at the door.

"Halfway down the fourth floor hallway," she whispered into her wire.

Elliot backed away from the door, and kicked it open. They quickly ran inside, their guns pointed in front of them. Inside, they found a man with long, greasy hair standing over Kathy, who was tied to the bed, crying. A woman, who looked as if drugs had aged her several years prematurely stood nearby, grinning madly at Kathy's helplessness.

"Police!" Elliot and Olivia shouted as they moved closer to the perps. The man looked over, laughed and made to slap Kathy in the face. Quick as a flash, Elliot ran up to him, and tackled him to the ground. Elliot punched him in the face as the woman approached him from behind, pulling out a gun.

"Elliot! Gun!" Olivia shouted, not wanting to fire hers because she would likely hit Elliot. Elliot turned and kicked the gun out of the woman's hands. The woman staggered, let on a manic laugh before reaching into her pocket for a knife. Olivia approached her from behind, pointing her gun at the woman's head.

"Drop it, or I will blow your head off," she snarled. The woman turned around and laughed again as she dropped the knife. She was missing several teeth. She then pushed Olivia's arms out of her way. Startled, Olivia dropped her arms and gun. The woman tried to throttle Olivia, who recovered quickly and punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground. She threw herself on the woman, pulling out her handcuffs and putting them on the woman as Cragen and the rest of the squad entered the room, their weapons pointed in the perps' direction.

Olivia lifted the woman up after cuffing her. "And you are?" she asked.

The woman laughed. "Sydney Trembly," she replied. "That's my boyfriend your partner is manhandling," she added, nodding at Elliot, who was cuffing the man.

"Stephen Tabor?" Olivia asked.

The woman smiled. "So you cops can figure some things out."

"Sydney Trembly, you're under arrest for the kidnapping of Kathy Stabler, and for sodomy and murder," Olivia said as she led Sydney out of the room. Nick and Fin followed her.

After cuffing Stephen, Elliot left him on the ground and ran over to Kathy, untying her and helping her stand up. When she was standing, Elliot threw his arms around her and kissed her head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, beginning to cry.

"Yes, I'm fine, El," Kathy replied. "How did you find me?"

"Just standard cop work," Elliot said, making Kathy grin.

They broke apart, and Kathy walked over to Amanda, who led her out of the room. Cragen was informing the SWAT team the perps and Kathy had been found and taken care of. Meanwhile, Munch was holding Stephen in place as Elliot approached them. Elliot and Munch led Stephen outside to the cars with Cragen following. When they were outside and next to Munch and Fin's car, they stopped and Elliot stood in front of Stephen, a look of contempt on his face.

"Well, well," Stephen said, smirking. "Detective Stabler, it's an honor to finally meet you."

Elliot stared at him before grinning and replying. "You know," he said. "It's an honor for me to once again be arresting low-life scum such as you. We're taking you downtown, and I can guarantee you, with your track record, the DA is not likely to be lenient."

Stephen smiled. "We will see," he said.

"Stephen Trembly," Elliot said as he helped put Stephen into the car. "You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Kathy Stabler, rape and murder. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you."


	7. Endgame

"Docket ending 25196, The People versus Stephen Tabor and Sydney Trembly," came the voice of the court officer as she walked to the front of the courtroom, where Judge Donnelly sat waiting. "Five counts each, murder in the first degree, three counts rape in the first degree, two counts sodomy in the first degree, one count kidnapping, one count against each for assaulting a police officer."

The court officer handed Judge Donnelly the docket, who took a quick glance at it before looking back up and nodding at Casey.

"Casey Novak for The People," Casey said.

"Marvin Exley for The Defense," said Marvin Exley, who was standing next to Tabor.

"Always a pleasure, Mr. Exley," Judge Donnelly said with an air of sarcasm.

"Likewise, Your Honor," Exley replied.

"Watch yourself, Counselor. I have been known to hold lawyers in contempt in my courtroom for less. How do your clients plead?"

"Not Guilty."

"Miss Novak?"

"Given the fact that the defendants are changed with numerous crimes, including several heinous ones, The People request remand," Casey replied in her most professional voice.

"My clients are not a flight risk, Your Honor," Exley insisted. "They are willing to surrender their passports and have guaranteed they will stay in the city."

"Mr. Exley, we all heard the charges against your clients," Judge Donnelly said. "I'm sure everyone in the city will sleep safely tonight if they still in lock up until their trial. The Defendants are hereby remanded to a detention facility pending their trial," she added, banging her gavel.

"Your Honor, The Defense moves to remove Miss Novak as counsel," Exley said quickly.

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Casey, sounding exasperated.

"Mr. Exley, just because things didn't go your way doesn't mean you can ask for the prosecution to be represented by someone else. On what grounds are you calling for this?"

"The fact that Miss Novak representing The People in this case is highly prejudicial against Mr. Tabor."

"In what way?" Casey demanded.

"Have you forgotten that you prosecuted him when you with White Collar crimes 10 years ago, Miss Novak?"

"Your Honor, regardless of the fact if I prosecuted someone once before is hardly grounds for asking for a new prosecutor."

"Enough," Judge Donnelly said quietly. "Counselors, meet in chambers now. Officer, take the defendants into custody."

She banged her gavel and left the bench. Casey and Exley followed her to her chambers, where Judge Donnelly hung up her robes before sitting down at her desk.

"Now, Mr. Exley, you can't possibly think that just because someone prosecuted a criminal before makes them unable to prosecute that individual again."

"Of course not, Your Honor," Exley replied, the wheels in his head clearly turning as he spoke in his charismatic voice. "But this case is different."

"And how exactly is that?" Casey asked, clearly annoyed.

"The fact that Mr. Tabor was found Not Guilty by a jury of his peers," Exley replied. "Surely that verdict would have angered Miss Novak."

"I'd hardly consider that grounds for this motion," Casey said. She looked at Judge Donnelly in the eyes. "I hardly remember that case, Your Honor. I am more than capable of trying this one without prejudice against Mr. Tabor, regardless of our supposed history together."

Judge Donnelly held up a hand. "Points taken," she said. "I'll issue my ruling on this matter by beginning of business tomorrow. For now, though, Mr. Exley, your clients will continue to be remanded until the trial begins."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Casey walked into the squadroom, where their morning meeting was occurring. Cragen looked up when he saw her standing there.<p>

"Well?" he said.

"I'm screwed," Casey replied.

"They won't let you try the case?" Olivia asked.

Casey shook her head. "Judge Donnelly just called and said that while it's been a long time since I prosecuted Tabor, she wants to be careful and declared me unfit to continue as the prosecutor on the case. Effective immediately."

"So what now?" asked Elliot.

"The case is still good as far as everything else. Alex is gonna take over the case for me. I'm just glad they have someone you all know and someone I trust working the case."

"Talking about me, are we, Casey?" Alex said from behind her. Alex was walking up to them and was smiling.

"Yes, actually," Casey said. "Just bringing everyone up to speed on the recent change in the case."

"Thanks," said Alex. "Sorry you can't take it."

"If I know you, you'll kick some ass."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Alex said, grinning in spite of herself.

* * *

><p>Alex stood up at the prosecutor's table. Stephen Tabor had just finished testifying for Marvin Exley and was the last person in the trial to speak. After Exley questioned him, Alex quickly strode up to him, her blue eyes piercing him.<p>

"So, you and Miss Trembly decided to go after people close to Detective Stabler," she said.

"That's right."

"Any particular reason you chose Detective Stabler?"

"We had heard all about him. When we heard he left SVU, we decided to go after him."

"Just like that? Why?"

"Objection! Relevance?" Exley said, standing.

"I think motive is everything in this case, Your Honor."

"I agree," Judge Donnelly said. "Objection overruled. The defendant may answer."

"We wanted to see if there was a chance to get him to come back to work. You know, cause enough trouble to get him to be a cop again."

"What part of that was any of your business, Mr. Tabor?"

"None of it was, we just thought it would be fun."

"Raping and murdering people is fun?" Alex asked in a hysterical tone.

Before Tabor could answer, Alex continued. "Going after six innocent people who just happened to be connected to a then-former NYPD detective and using their connections to him to draw him out is fun? Kidnapping a police officer's wife and attempting to rape and kill her is fun?"

"Objection — "Exley started, but Alex ignored him.

"And assaulting two police officers, that's just icing on the cake isn't it?"

"Your Honor…" Exley said in an exasperated voice.

"Miss Cabot, that's enough," Judge Donnelly said.

Alex nodded at her before looking at Tabor with an icy expression. "I guess we just don't understand you then, Mr. Tabor. No further questions," she added, turning around and returning to the prosecutor's table.

"The Defense rests, Your Honor."

"Very well," said Judge Donnelly, nodding. "Miss Cabot, you may begin closing arguments."

For the next while, both Alex and Exley presented their closing arguments for the case. When they were finished, Judge Donnelly excused the jury, who left to deliberate. After the jury was gone, the courtroom was cleared. Alex met up with Elliot and Olivia outside the courtroom.

"How's your wife holding up?" Alex asked.

"She's okay," replied Elliot. "She's just glad that she doesn't have to testify anymore."

"So am I," said Alex. "I'll be glad when this is all over. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

When Alex raised her eyebrows, Elliot grinned.

"All right, I'm kinda freaking out, but at least the testifying is done. Now we just play the waiting game."

"You got through the worst, El," Olivia said. "You'll get through the rest just fine."

"Thanks, Liv."

Within an hour, everyone was called back into the courtroom — the jury had already reached its verdict.

"Have you reached your verdict?" Judge Donnelly asked when everyone was situated in the room.

"We have, Your Honor," said the forewoman, standing up.

"On count one, murder in the first degree of Grace Bontz, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On count two, murder in the first degree of Megan Knab, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"Count three, murder in the first degree of Alexander Knab, what is your verdict?"

"Guilty."

"On count four, murder in the first degree of Matthew Shroder, what is your verdict?"

"Guilty."

"On count five, murder in the first degree of Ashley Shroder, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On count six, rape in the first degree of Grace Bontz, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"Count seven, sodomy in the first degree of Alexander Knab, what is your verdict?"

"Guilty."

* * *

><p>"Guilty on all charges," Alex said, as she and the rest of the squad walked down the hallway to her office.<p>

"I never expected anything else from you," Casey said, grinning. "Though I am a little mad you took the case from me," she added, friendly punching Alex on the arm."

"Hey now, it's your fault for screwing up against Tabor," replied Alex, winking. "And I'll thank you for allowing me to manhandle his ass. With luck, he and Trembly will get life without the possibility of parole."

They entered Alex's office. Olivia pulled out a bottle of wine and poured a glass for everyone, except for Cragen, who brought a bottle of water for himself. Once everyone had their drink, Olivia got their attention for a toast.

"Here's to welcoming back one of New York's _finest_ finest!" she said, raising her glass. "Detective Elliot Stabler!"

"You sure you're not referring to me?" called Munch, making everyone laugh.

"Elliot Stabler!" everyone said, raising their glasses and toasting Elliot, who walked over to Olivia and embraced her in a warm hug. All was well.


End file.
